Chapter 4 – Blood on the Wei Plains Pt. 2
The wind smelled of iron.
Gi Ken stood shoulder-to-shoulder with nine other fresh recruits, the leather straps of his father's old armor digging into his shoulders. The metal was scuffed, edges dulled, but it felt like the closest thing to a second skin. Around him, men muttered prayers, some trembling, others breathing deep in a vain attempt to steady themselves.
From somewhere ahead, the dull BOOM-BOOM-BOOM of war drums rolled across the plains.
The Wei army's banners—red with jagged black strokes—rose like a wave over the horizon.
"Forward! Keep the line tight!" the ten-man commander barked, his voice already strained.
Gi Ken's grip tightened around his glaive. Behind the dull anxiety in his chest, there was something else—heat. A part of him, buried deep, wanted the clash.
Gi Ken's POV
The first impact came fast. Wei infantry slammed into the Qin line with the sound of a thousand shields colliding. CLANG! THUD! Screams ripped through the air as steel met flesh.
I stepped forward with the others, thrusting the glaive's blade past the shield in front of me.
SHNK! A Wei soldier staggered back, clutching his side, only for another to take his place.
"Push! PUSH!" our commander yelled—until an arrow found him.
THUNK!
He went down without a sound, the shaft buried deep in his neck.
The formation faltered instantly. Men shouted in panic, the line bending inward. That was all the Wei needed—they surged forward.
"Hold the line!" I roared before I could think.
The men's eyes snapped toward me. For a moment, I wasn't just another recruit—I was someone giving orders.
I kicked the fallen commander's body aside and stepped into the gap, glaive sweeping out in a wide arc. WHOOSH—CLANG! A Wei shield shuddered, the soldier behind it thrown off balance. I drove the butt end into his gut and shoved him back.
A spear shot toward me from the side—SWISH!—but I caught it on my glaive's shaft and twisted, wrenching it free before burying my blade in the attacker's thigh.
Third-Person – Qin Officer's POV
Captain Ren, fifty paces away, saw the breach and swore under his breath. That line should have collapsed—but it didn't.
A tall recruit in battered armor was holding the center, moving with fluid precision, his strikes forcing the Wei back step by step. Around him, the other soldiers rallied, their fear burning away in the shadow of his defiance.
Ren's gaze narrowed. Not a normal recruit.
Gi Ken's POV
Through the chaos, familiar faces emerged—one by one, as if drawn by instinct.
Rikuya, spear spinning in his hands, cut down a man coming at my blind spot.
Shouhei, bow in hand, loosed an arrow past my shoulder—THWIP!—straight into the throat of a charging Wei.
Keisuke slammed his shield forward, breaking another push.
Within minutes, all ten of them were there. My brothers. My companions.
No words passed between us—we didn't need them. Every movement felt coordinated, each of us filling the gaps the others left.
"Form a wedge!" I shouted. "We're breaking them here!"
We pushed forward in a triangular formation, shields on the flanks, glaives and spears stabbing out in rhythm. The Wei line faltered. We weren't just holding anymore—we were advancing.
Wei Soldier's POV
They were supposed to be recruits—fresh meat for the slaughter. But these men fought like seasoned killers. The tall one in old armor… every swing of his blade felt heavier, sharper, forcing us back.
"Pull back!" someone yelled. "Regroup!"
It was the first time I'd heard fear in our ranks all morning.
Gi Ken's POV
CRUNCH!
My shield slammed into a man's jaw. I swept my glaive in a wide arc, forcing two more back. Around me, my brothers struck with precision—Shouhei switching to his sword as the enemy closed, Rikuya breaking a spear haft across his knee to jab the jagged wood into a throat.
Step by step, we reclaimed the ground we'd lost.
Blood soaked my arms, some of it mine, most of it not.
"Hold this ground!" I barked as the Wei regrouped further back. "Archers—thin them out before they charge again!"
Third-Person – Ouki's POV
Far to the rear, General Ouki sat astride his massive horse, the faintest smirk tugging at his lips as he watched the ebb and flow of the front.
His eyes passed over countless formations before settling briefly on a small pocket of the line.
A recruit unit, holding firm where veteran soldiers had bent. At their center—a tall youth in dented armor, moving with the efficiency of a trained officer.
"…Interesting," Ouki murmured, before turning his gaze toward another section of the battlefield—where yet another promising spark, a boy named Shin, was making his own stand.
Gi Ken's POV
By the time the next Wei push came, we were ready. Shields braced, archers loosed a volley—THWIP-THWIP-THWIP!—cutting down their front rank before they even reached us.
We met them head-on. CLANG! SHNK! THUD! The noise was deafening, the air thick with the stench of blood and sweat.
Hours later, when the horns finally signaled the halt, I realized my legs were trembling—not from fear, but from exhaustion. Around me, my brothers still stood, weapons slick with blood.
Third-Person – Qin Officer's POV
Captain Ren approached, eyes scanning the survivors. His gaze landed on Gi Ken.
"You."
"Yes, sir?"
"You're in command of this unit now," Ren said, jerking his chin toward the others. "You just saved that flank from collapsing. Don't make me regret it."
A murmur rippled through the men.
Gi Ken nodded once. "Understood."
As the sun dipped toward the horizon, I stood among my brothers, our weapons resting against our shoulders. We'd survived our first real battle. And in my gut, I knew—this was only the beginning.
To be continued…